August 10

Elevating clothes to art, Eleanor Lambert helped open The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

1903:
Fashion's Grand Dame

Eleanor Lambert is born in Crawfordsville, Indiana

Style maven Eleanor Lambert came from the Midwest but lived most of her life in New York City, where deciding what people ought to wear was (and still is) considered a high art.

Lambert had a natural knack for public relations and shepherd numerous young American clothing designers to fame and fortune. She helped bring Calvin Klein, Bill Blass, and other now-household name designers into the fashion mainstream by promoting their works to magazine editors and celebrities.

Lambert is also credited as the creator of “Fashion Week,” an elaborate, twice-a-year display of the latest fashion designs in New York City, as well as the International Best-Dressed List, which actors, socialites, and other celebrities strive to be included on each year.

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